Acentroptera lacordairei Lucas

Staines, C. L., 2014, A revision of the genus Acentroptera Guérin-Méneville, 1844 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Insecta Mundi 2014 (332), pp. 1-19 : 6-7

Acentroptera lacordairei Lucas

Fig. 5

Acentroptera lacordairei Dejean 1836: 388 (nomen nudum).

Acentroptera lacordairei Lucas 1859: 193 (type: Brazil, depository unknown). Gemminger and Harold 1876: 3608 (catalog); Donckier 1899: 568 (catalog); Weise 1911a: 19 (catalog), 1911b: 27 (catalog); Papp 1953: 50 (catalog); Uhmann 1957: 66 (catalog).

Description. Elongate; parallel-sided; subconvex; yellowish; head with clypeus and eyes black; antennae reddish; pronotum with longitudinal medial black vitta and black lateral margins; scutellum black; elytra with lateral margins black, markings extending to humeri, narrow black transverse band present behind middle and at apex; venter yellowish-brown. Head: vertex punctate, medial sulcus present; not depressed between eyes; tooth present between antennal bases; frons and clypeus sparsely punctate. Antenna: reaches to humerus; antennomere 1 subglobose; 2 elongate, slightly longer than 1; 3-4 elongate, 3 subequal in length to 1 and 2 combined, 4 slightly shorter than 3; 5-7 expanding to apex, subequal in length, each shorter than 4; 8-10 transverse, subequal in length, each shorter than 7; 11 longer than 10, bluntly pointed at apex; 1-6 sparsely punctate; 7-11 setose. Pronotum: transverse; convex laterally, flattened on disc; lateral margin bisinuate, angulate in middle, narrowly margined; anterior angle with large blunt tooth; posterior angle acute; surface covered with deep punctures, especially laterally, less punctate on disc; with longitudinal narrow impunctate area near middle; longitudinal medial sulcus present on basal ½; slight transverse basal impression present medially; pronotal length 2.2-2.5 mm; pronotal width 3.0- 3.2 mm. Scutellum: quadrate; impunctate. Elytron: lateral margin smooth, slightly expanding to apex; exterior apical angle rounded; sutural angle with small tooth; humerus angulate; interspaces 4 and 6 costate for entire length, 8 costate on apical ½, 2 only slightly raised; elytral length 9.5-9.8 mm; elytral width 4.0- 4.6 mm. Venter: pro-, meso-, and metasterna impunctate medially, sparsely punctate laterally; abdominal sterna sparsely punctate, each puncture with pale seta; apical sternite with fringe of setae at apex. Leg: punctate, each puncture with pale seta; tibia with fringe of setae on inner apical margin. Total length: 12.0-13.0 mm.

Discussion. Lucas’ (1859) description of this species plus the detailed color illustrations provide sufficient enough to confidently assign specimens to the species name. The type of the species may be hidden somewhere in the MNHN but curators could not find the specimens. Also it is not clear from the original description if the species was described from specimens in the Dejean collection (which has been widely dispersed) or from ones collected by the Castelnau expedition. Until this is resolved, the designation of a neotype is not justified.

Host plant. Unknown.

Distribution. Bolivia, Brazil (Espírito Santo).

Specimens examined: no data (BMNH). Bolivia: Santa Cruz- Florida, Refugio los Volcanes, 9-13 December 2008 (LSC). Brazil: Espírito Santo- no further data (BMNH). Total: 4.

Figures

Figures 1-9. Habitus of Acentroptera species. 1) Acentroptera basilica Thomson. 2) Acentroptera bita Staines n. sp. holotype. 3) Acentroptera dejeanii Guérin-Méneville. 4) Acentroptera emdeni Uhmann. 5) Acentroptera lacordairei Lucas. 6) Acentroptera lineata Staines n. sp. holotype. 7) Acentroptera nevermanni Uhmann. 8) Acentroptera norrisii Guérin-Méneville. 9) Acentroptera ohausi Weise.